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General Practice Zone

GPs working at a General Practice surgery are doctors who look after you as a whole person, rather than your individual parts. GPs work in local practices within the community, and the provide primary medical care, meaning they are often the first person you will go to when there is something wrong with you. They can give you advice and prescribe medication, or they might refer you to hospital clinics for further assessment, or a specialist centre for treatment.

GPs might operate in community health centres, like this centre in Oxford | Image: Kaishu, Wikipedia

It’s not just doctors who work at a GP surgery; there is a whole team of healthcare professionals working to help patients, from practice nurses to receptionists. In this zone you will meet two qualified GPs who work at local surgeries, as well as someone training to be a GP. There is also a practice nurse working at a surgery, a clinical director responsible for all the healthcare professionals at their practice and a practice manager, who is in charge of all aspects of running of a GPs surgery.